WILLE AND THE BANDITS
Purveyors of one word album titles, Wille and the Bandits are back with a new full-length platter, following up 'Grow' and 'Steal' with 'Paths'. Have they "grown" as a band? Indeed they have. Metal Discovery have been following this lot with a keen eye since starting to receive their stuff for review six years ago, and 'Paths' certainly feels like a band who've matured into their own sense of pastiched mimicry. So, have they "stolen"? Politely so. Pastiche, as I said, rather than plagiarism. And they're more than willing and confident to wear their influences on their sleeves, as press blurb, for example, talks of a Nick Cave and Tom Waits vibe in 'Judgement Day', and "Wille's signature lap slide solo" sounding "reminiscent of David Gilmour's slide guitar playing." And "paths"? Yep, 'Paths', too, fits into their self-reflective triumvirate of album title exposition. Their paths are as varied musically as their songs are lyrically.
What paths are we dealing with here? Lyrically, topics meander between perennial thematic favourites of bands like the Levellers, so we have conservation, politics and world peace... is it a coincidence the opening track here bears the title of a Lev's classic? The country-rock-blues twang to much of the track is certainly not channelling any kind of Levellers motifs... but, you know what? The chorus is very Levellers in spirit! And Wille Edwards' passionate vocal delivery on this number is a little reminiscent of Mark Chadwick.
And that's only the start. Wille and the Bandits are one of those acts whose albums need to be digested as a whole, rather than sweeping judgements being made, based on individual tracks. Paths, don't forget? Stylistically, there are many disparate divergences. The very next track, 'Make Love', for example, succeeds in capturing 50s, 60s and 70s flavours, simultaneously... but also with a contemporary slant. 'Chakra', a didactically observational conservation song, has a world music feeling; 'Keep it on the Down-Low' introduces a rap/hip-hop dynamic to their country/blues core, and there's a poignant tribute to the legendary and still-can't-believe-he's-gone Chris Cornell in 'How Long'. Get the picture?
There are more "paths" to discover here, on an album that's pleasingly unpredictable, yet somehow familiar. Each divergence and fused style feels like it belongs, and has been moulded for their own ends, into, ultimately, what is Wille and the Bandits best album to date.
What paths are we dealing with here? Lyrically, topics meander between perennial thematic favourites of bands like the Levellers, so we have conservation, politics and world peace... is it a coincidence the opening track here bears the title of a Lev's classic? The country-rock-blues twang to much of the track is certainly not channelling any kind of Levellers motifs... but, you know what? The chorus is very Levellers in spirit! And Wille Edwards' passionate vocal delivery on this number is a little reminiscent of Mark Chadwick.
And that's only the start. Wille and the Bandits are one of those acts whose albums need to be digested as a whole, rather than sweeping judgements being made, based on individual tracks. Paths, don't forget? Stylistically, there are many disparate divergences. The very next track, 'Make Love', for example, succeeds in capturing 50s, 60s and 70s flavours, simultaneously... but also with a contemporary slant. 'Chakra', a didactically observational conservation song, has a world music feeling; 'Keep it on the Down-Low' introduces a rap/hip-hop dynamic to their country/blues core, and there's a poignant tribute to the legendary and still-can't-believe-he's-gone Chris Cornell in 'How Long'. Get the picture?
There are more "paths" to discover here, on an album that's pleasingly unpredictable, yet somehow familiar. Each divergence and fused style feels like it belongs, and has been moulded for their own ends, into, ultimately, what is Wille and the Bandits best album to date.
LABEL:
FORMAT:
Fat Toad Records
Album
PATHS
Review by Mark Holmes
RUNNING TIME:
48:05
RELEASE DATE:
1st February 2019
TRACK LISTING
1) One Way
2) Make Love
3) Victim of the Night
4) Four Million Days
5) Chakra
6) Keep it on the Down-low
7) Judgement Day
8) How Long
9) Find My Way
10) Watch You Grow
11) Retribution
2) Make Love
3) Victim of the Night
4) Four Million Days
5) Chakra
6) Keep it on the Down-low
7) Judgement Day
8) How Long
9) Find My Way
10) Watch You Grow
11) Retribution
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN:
UK
"...an album that's pleasingly unpredictable, yet somehow familiar. Each divergence and fused style feels like it belongs, and has been moulded for their own ends, into, ultimately, what is Wille and the Bandits best album to date."
